eCurry - The Recipe Blog

Talking of  Dum Aloo…There are some hundreds of ways to make Dum Aloo. In West Bengal it used to be a must dish served for weddings with “Radhaballavi” (lentil stuffed puri), and I loved the slight & subtle sweet taste of that kind of dum aloo.

Also during fall/winter time, when there would be small new baby potatoes, & the peas in the shell, my mom would make peas kachori and dum aloo with the bite size potatoes. It used to be an all evening activity when we would all sit and shell the peas and rub the potatoes to skin the already peeling skins.

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Palak Paneer

This one is a Treasure in my kitchen.  A delicious preparation of Paneer(soft Indian cottage cheese) gently simmered in curried Palak(spinach), this dish is relished with hot naan breads or chapatis. Or serve it as a delicious side accompaniment to any meals. Me & my kids spoon out & eat atleast half a bowl even before we start with the bread:-D. The origination of this dish is from the Northern Parts of India but is enjoyed all over the country & all over the world. 

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The “Saas Bahu” combination is supposed to give the creeps:-D However my mom-in-law is one of the most wonderful people I have ever come across and I could not ask for more. Getting married when I just stepped in to my twenties… I thought and moved with caution, but immediatley she helped me get absorbed in to the family and more than all, amazed me with her exceptional cooking skills. Over the years I have learned a lot of what she cooks, especially the ones which are loved and craved by my hubby.

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Potatoes & Fenugreek Seeds

Tucked away among the tiny villages in the colorful and beautiful deserts of Rajasthan, nestles a oasis surrounded by cool shady trees. This haven of peace is the Ashram - Bala. We had the privilege to visit this place last time we visited Jaipur and paid our respects to SatiMata. We also had the privilege to have our lunch here, inside the cool thick walls where no air condition is needed even when it is 90 degrees outside.

Along with all the other delicious dishes we had for lunch, there was this particular dish which I liked the  best even though I did not and could not figure out what I was eating, other than it had cubes of potatoes in it. This was something which I had never eaten before… Later I had found out that the main ingredient which felt like a kind of lentil to me, was actually green fenugreek(methi) seeds cooked like a vegetable!! I cook green fenugreek (methi) leaves, use the seeds and Kasuri Methi as spice/seasoning. But never ever did I imagine that the unripened fenugreek seeds can be cooked too. They lack the bitterness of the seeds which we usually use as spice.

I never found green fenugreek seeds here, but I was suggested to soak the regular ripened fenugreek seeds overnight as an alternative. This takes away some of the bitterness (they are still a wee little bitter), and also swells up to a soft plump, which makes it possible to cook it like a vegetable.

This dish is so very different. I was just going to post it when I came across the Herb Mania Fenugreek Event. What timing!!

This goes to the Herb Mania Fenugreek Event hosted by RedChillies.

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup Fenugreek(Methi) seeds
2. 2 medium sized Potatoes
3. 1 inch ginger peeled
4. 4-5 Cloves of Garlic
5. 4 Hot Green Peppers (like Serrano)
6. 1 Tomato chopped
7. 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
8. 2 teaspoons Red Chili Powder (adjust to your taste)
9. Salt
10. 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
11. 3 tablespoons Oil
12. 1 tablespoon Plain Yogurt
13. 1 teaspoon Ghee (for Tarka)
14. 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder (for Tarka)
15. 1 tablespoon chopped Cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Soak the fenugreek seeds in water overnight. Wash them thoroughly and strain out the water.

Peel and cut the potatoes in to 1″ cubes. Sprinkle salt and turmeric on them and set aside. Heat oil and fry the potatoes till they start to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Blend Ginger, hot green pepper, garlic and tomato in a puree. Pour this in the same oil the potatoes were fried and simmer till the oil separates from the sides. Add the Potatoes and the Fenugreek seeds. Mix it so the pureed tomato and ginger garlic coats the potatoes and the seeds. Fry for about 8 - 10 more minutes.

Mix Turmeric, salt, coriander powder and red chilli powder in half cup of water and pour it in the pan. Cover and cook till the potatoes are tender. It should not dry up completely. There should be enough water to coat the potatoes and the seeds and a little bit more. Add more water if its too dry. Add the Plain yogurt mixed with little water. Simmer uncovered at low heat for another 10 minutes.

Switch off the heat. Now for the Tarka, heat the ghee and when smoking hot add the chilli powder and immediately pour it on the potatoes and fenugreek. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Fenugreek seeds & Potatoes with Poori

Serve with Poori or any Indian bread. Best tasted with Poori and Shrikhand on the side.

Pakore wali Kadhi

Pakore wali Kadhi is seasoned Buttermilk with fried onion dumplings in it. This recipe has variations in different regions of India. In the north, this is very spicy and thicker than that in the west which is done a little bit sweeter and lighter and consumed more like a soup, often times without the dumplings.

The recipe below is the one from North India.

For the pakoras: 

Ingredients:

1. Onions 3 Big Yellow or Red
2. Besan/Chick Pea Flour (Gram Flour is NOT to be confused with GRAHAM Flour): 6-7 tablespoons full
3. Salt to taste
4. Oil to deep fry
5. 1 teaspoon of Ajwain (Carom Seeds)

Preparation:

Peel and Slice the onions vertically in to thin half moons.

Mix salt and besan with the sliced onions, and ajwain and mix it with hands, Squeeze the onions while you mix so the water from the onion comes out and makes a paste with the besan.

It should a sticky gooey paste. If it is not, you will need to add little water. Set the paste aside.

Heat enough oil in a pan or wok to deep fry. Spoon out the mix, one full tablespoon at a time in the hot oil and fry till they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels and aside. This is to be added to the Kadhi towards the end of the preparation.

Pakoras

For the Kadhi:

Ingredients:

1. 1.5 cups plain yogurt
2. 2 tablespoon of besan ( Chick pea flour)
3. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4. Salt to taste
5. 1 tablespoon of garlic paste

For seasoning:

1. 1.5 teaspoon of Panch Foron
2. 2 Red Dry Chilis
3. 2 Clove
4. 1″ stick of cinnamon
5. 1 Small green cardamom
6. A pinch of Asafoetida
7. 1 tablespoon of chopped curry leaves
8. 1 tablespoon Oil ( You can use the left over oil after frying the pakoras)
9. 1/4 onion chopped
10. 1/2 inch piece of ginger very finely chopped

For Tarka:

1. 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
2. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 1 teaspoon red chili powder (Optional)
4. 1 teaspoon ghee

Preparation:

In a big bowl mix Yogurt, Besan, Garlic paste and Turmeric and mix it well with an egg beater, so there are no lumps of the besan. Add about 1.5 cups of water and beat for some more time till it gets to a  smooth buttermilk with no lumps.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and the cinnamom, cloves and cardamoms. After a minute, add the dry chilis, asafoetida and panch foron. Once the seeds start to splutter add the chopped onions and ginger and fry till the onions start to brown.

Add the buttermilk mix to this and boil at high heat till it starts to foam up. It will take about 15 minutes for it to be done. After 10 minutes add the curry leaves, salt and the pakoras. Boil for another few minutes and now its done.

Now the Tarka:

Heat the ghee, and add the Cumin and the mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter. Switch off the heat and add the red chili powder. Pour this immediately over the prepared Kadhi.

Chickpeas in Light Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1. 2 cans of garbanzo beans- about 16 oz cans (1 cup uncooked chickpeas, if you want to soak and pressure cook it)
2. 1 tablespoon Ghee (can be substituted with butter or any cooking oil)
3. 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger
4. 1 clove of garlic chopped very fine
5. 1 cardamom
6. 1 clove
7. 1 half inch stick of cinnamon
8. 1 teaspoons Cumin seeds (Jeera)
9. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
10. 2 Serrano peppers chopped (Optional- add this if you want it spicy)
11. Salt to taste
12. ½ teaspoons of turmeric
13. 1 cup of V8 or tomato puree with water added to it to make it as the same consistency of V8
14. 1 teaspoon of roasted ground cumin seeds

Preparation:

In the V8 add the turmeric, salt, and the roasted cumin and stir it to mix.

Dry roast the cardamom, clove and cinnamon in the utensil you are going to prepare this.

You will smell the aroma of these spices once they start roasting.

Add the ghee and add the cumin seeds.

Add the chopped peppers if you want it spicy. Once the cumin seeds start turning dark add the garlic and the ginger.Fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the V8/Tomato Puree mix and let it boil for 5 minutes.

Add the Chickpeas and the Cilantro leaves.

Boil for 7 – 10 minutes and mash up a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This should be like a soup, not dry. So if the water dries up add more water when you are boiling.

This can be accompanied with hot white rice, or Roti or can be had by itself like a soup!!